Cementitious beam member



Patented .lune 3, 1930 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CHARLES E. EUENTE, or PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA GEMENTITIOUS BEAM MEMBER Application f1ed..]une 22, 1928. Serial No. 287,572.

ploye'd for the making of pipe, but in these cases the process has been resorted to principally because it inherently is such aslto make simple the production of a shelll1ke article. I have found that centrifugal casting processes are of great value in the making of beam members because the material 1s more densely compacted, particularly 1n the outer portions of the beam where the maximum stresses are developed in use,.thus giving a stronger beam than is produced by ordinary methods.

Centrifugal casting is of particular value in beams which are to be employed as railroad ties or the like because the dense outer structure is resistant to abrasion to a high degree.

I provide attaching means for the rall, which attaching means employ to advantage the opening formed in thecentral portion of the beam member in centrifugal casting..

My attaching means preferably comprises a sleeper lying in a recess formed in the beam member with bolts extending through the sleeper and into the opening through the center of the beam. Clips are provided on the sleeper, these clips being held in place by the bolts and having keys which engage the railroad rails.

In the accompanying vdrawings illustrating the present preferred embodiment of my invent-ion as applied to railroad ties,

Figure 1 is a side elevation partly broken away of a railroad tie, supporting a pair of rails, Y

Figure 2 is a top plan view thereof,

*Y Figure 3 is a transverse section taken -on the line III-III of Figure 1, and

Figure A is a perspective view of a bolt retaining plate.

Thetie structure comprises a cementitious beam 2 of generally rectangular cross section 'and having rounded corners 3. The beam is j reinforced by metal rods 4. The beam is centrlfugally cast so that a dense structure is secured and the beam is hollow, having an Aopening 5 extending throughout its length.

Adjacent either end of the tie there is provideda protuberance 6 which is recessed toJ receive a Wooden sleeper 7. The sleeper is held in place by bolts 8. The bolts have T shaped heads 9 which lie in the central opening 5. A plate 10 lies over the top of the sleeper 7 and is in turn surmounted by clips 11. i The clips and the plate are held in position with the sleeper by the bolts 8.

The clips 11 are spaced apart and are provided with undercut faces12. The railroad yrails R extend between these faces and are held in place by keys 13. As shown in Figure 2, thefaces 12 are inclined to the rails so that the keys 13 may be tapered. Lateral adjustment of the rail may be secured by varying the amount t-o which the keys on opposite sides of the rail are driven. After the keys have been driven to the desired position so as to properlylocatethe rail and hold ity tightly in place, the ends thereof are turned outwardly as indicated at 14,`so as to lock them in place. n

Provision is made forrapidly inserting or removingV the bolts 8. It is notdesirable to embed the bolts in the tie because if they should be accidentally cut or broken oft', or

otherwise injured, it would he necessary to replace the entire tie. I provide elongated slots 15 extending from the bottom of the recess` for the sleeper 7 to the centralopening 5.Y Bolt retaining plates 16 are cast into the Vbeam member 2l with their inner faces lying substantially flush with the wall of the opening 5. Each plate 16 is provided with an elongated slot 17 registering with the slot 15, and is also provided with a rib 18 which is struck up at right angles to the slot 17 so as to provide a recess 19 in the inner face of the plate. Thebolts8 are inserted by lowering them through the openings 15 until their T heads 9 pass through the slots 17. They are then rotated o and lifted up so that the top faces of the T heads engage the recesses 19 on opposite sides of the slots 17. The bolts are thus firmly held in place but may be easily removed rwithout disturbing the tie.

I have illustrated and described the preferred form of my invention, but it will be understood that it is not thus limited, as it may be otherwise embodied within the scope of the following claims.

I claim 1. A railroad tie comprising a centrifugally cast cement-itious body which is generally rectangular in cross section and has an opening through the central portion thereof, the body having longitudinal reinforcements therein, and also having diagonally extending reinforcements in the side walls thereof.

2. A railroad tie comprising a cementitious body having a central opening, a metal reinforcing member in the central opening, the body and the reinforcing member having a lateral opening adapted to receive a bolt and a bolt extending through said lateral opening, said lateral opening being elongated, the bolt having a T-head adapted to fit through the opening and the metal reinforcing member having a recess extending at an angle to the greatest cross-sectional dimension of said lateral opening and adapted to receive the bolt head and prevent rotation thereof, whereby the head may be inserted through the lateral opening and the bolt turned so as to bring the head into engagement with the recess.

3. A railroad tie comprising a centrifugally cast cementitious body which is generally rectangular in cross section and has a generally cylindrical opening extending through the central portion thereof, the tie having bolt openings extending from the top face to the central opening, and perforated metal reinforcing plates having openings in alinement with the bolt holes and embedded in the sides of the central opening.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

CHARLES F. BUENTE. 

